Revolution of the Heavens
by Japyra
Summary: Take away the sun and the night is all that's left. Nothing is sure, least of all a Terran's love. Ion's death leaves two broken people struggling to find meaning again.


Another Trinity Blood Fic done at the request of Princess-Daisy0

**Disclaimer: When the sky is green kiddos, when the sky is green.**

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_When day fades to darkness..._

One thing begins at the end of another. It's a known tragedy, a fucked-up format of life. But it is real.

She's crying, she knows this. Her cheeks are damp and her eyes are about the same color as her hair and everything inside of her is breaking. Until she spots him, that is.

He is worse. He can't move anymore, his body has reached its limit. And even as his blood flows out he's conscious, cardinal eyes glazed over with torment that can no longer be voiced.

And seeing him pulls her together. She wipes the tears from her face, tucks scarlet locks of hair behind her ear, and pulls herself to shaky feet. Esther's movement is slow, but steady as she walks over to him. Seeing him in pain has brought her back to life.

_I can't save Ion... but Abel is still here._

The red-haired woman bends down over the Crusnik, caught between two forms in guilt and agony.

"Father... it's okay." Her voice is soft but she thanks God that it doesn't break. "I'm here now."

As the former nun talks she uses her slender fingers to move across his rigid face in gentle motions, trying to relax him. Slowly, her touch progresses to his eyes and they shut under her fingertips. His breathing evens out just as other AX members arrive to see their former trainee bending over their beloved idiot.

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Six. Six days since the Queen of Albion returned battered with a half-dead

Crusnik and one less Count. Six mornings of chaos and progress, trailing after the ones who attacked them and sorting out diplomatic problems without any help. Six evenings of quiet mourning with a hand stuffed in her mouth to keep the servants from hearing her cries. Six nights that Nightroad had slept without waking.

On the seventh night, Esther followed ritual. She returned to her personal infirmary, aching from loss and longevity of the day. Her blue eyes fell on the man's prone form and she sat beside him in a chair, just watching for a time as the rhythmic sound of his breathing lulled her into a half-sleep. The moon progressed across the sky before the noblewoman shook herself from the state, bleary vision clearing. Her heart stopped dead when glowing embers were latched onto her form.

"F-father, you're awake!" The former AX member managed to stir herself from stupor.

"Don't call me that..." His voice was low and throaty, as if he had been screaming for hours. Maybe he had, just silently.

Instinctively, the female Terran got up from his side and moved to a pitcher, filling it with a glass of water and bringing it back. The silver-haired man eyed it wearily before she scooted onto the bed and helped him lean up.

"Esther..." His voice began to argue.

"Don't." She cut him off, sounding much stronger then she felt. His voice was so pathetic it plucked away at her heart strings. "Drink this before you talk."

He complied, more or less because there was no strength left in his soul to argue. She watched him as he sipped the clear liquid, wondering whether she should question him about his current appearance. However, one look into the good priest's eyes and the girl lost all heart to do so. He was bleeding worse then her. And so esther smiled.

"Get some rest Father Nightroad. I'll be back tomorrow evening. Use the bell if you need anything."

The Queen said the last part knowing already he would never touch the bell. That was alright, she could make noise for him.

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"So he still in in his Crusnik form?" Lady Caterina repeated in wonderment.

The younger female nodded politely, her eyes shining with worry. "I am afraid so Lady Caterina."

The blond closed eyes briefly, feeling an oncoming headache that had no time to be treated.

_Abel, what mess have you gotten into now?_

"How long since he awoke?" Her powerfully reassuring voice did not hint at any of her inner distress as

The young ruler of Albion shifted. "Three days." She felt bad about taking this long, but Count Fortuna's death had been officially cleared this morning and she had been the prime reliable eyewitness.

Sforza held back a wince of pity for her friend. "And he has done no harm? No killings?"

Esther gave a small gasp, and a slightly indignant look came about her face. "Pardon me, my Lady, but Father Nightroad is not a monster."

Her dark eyes softened slightly, though her words betrayed her feelings so akin to that of the firecracker before her. "No, however, Crusnik can be. Precautions must be implemented. Has anything happened—especially around Methuselah?"

The red-haired beauty shook her head fiercely, some old spirit found again. "No my—"

"Oh, do cut that out already." Caterina snapped slightly before regaining perfect composure. "I am a Duchess, you are a Queen. There is no need for such esteemed address."

As soon as the girl recovered from her shock, a whimsical smile fell upon her features. "Forgive me L... Caterina. I guess I am so used to it from my work in the AX."

The monocled figure hid a smile.

_What better times those seem now, huh?_

"Since Father Nightroad has caused no further trouble, I see no reason to remove him. If you are willing, Queen Esther, Albion may be the best place for him to recover."

The former nun seemed surprised as her mouth formed a little 'o'. "But Rome is his home, surely..."

"He ran away after Noelle died." The leader of AX started calmly. "And when he came back he was distraught. Do to the circumstances of the Count's death, I think it would be better for him away from Rome... away from the AX."

The pretty figure mulled this over for a moment before her delicate face became resolute and she bowed, causing a bittersweet smile to grace the Duchess of Milan's face.

"I will do whatever is in my power for him, Lady...sorry... Caterina."

"Thank you, Queen Esther." The powerful Vatican woman nodded in dismissal and had an appreciative nod returned before her guest exited out the door.

The sorrowful smile still danced on her lips in the wake of the shutting door.

_After all this time my friend, it's time I've let you go. You've given me so much Abel; but I can't watch you kill yourself. Forgive me, but one day you may understand... my truest friend. If anyone can give you peace, it is that girl._

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Glowering red eyes still moved to greet her wearily as she made her daily routine to his bedside. This time however, a steaming bowl was in her hands. She smiled brightly at him, despite the dark circles under her cerulean orbs.

"How are you today Father—"

"—Esther,"

"Oh, right _Abel_." She gave a small little laugh behind one hand. "I did the same thing with Caterina a while ago."

This seemed to interest the nearly vegetative man. His head inclined. "How is she?"

The Queen put a finger to her lip as she considered it. "Tired, but good I think. She seemed sad when she told me though..." Her words trailed off into her thoughts.

The priest waited for her to gather them into vocals again.

The burgundy haired woman cleared her throat and looked at her friend as she carefully placed the next words. "She told me that you should stay here, in Albion, while you healed."

The noblewoman prayed that is was only his brilliant eye color that made his normally porcelain skin pasty white as he blinked slowly.

"If that is what Lady Caterina wishes."

"It is," The blue-eyed girl rushed to say. "And what I want too. Now the servants have told me that you haven't eaten anything in since waking up so I brought you some soup."

Her hand gathered out the once-forgotten bowl, another smile lighting up her features.

The way his fearsome Crusnik features never faded, but rather twisted with guilt and softness into some remnant of the man she knew frightened the ruler.

"No thank you Esther."

The silver-haired wanderer was nothing if not a gentlemen.

"Abel, you must eat." The girl dropped her ploy in concern and a tight, unhappy smile fell on his jagged features.

"I am sorry Esther, but I have no appetite."

_Don't cry, just stay strong... Strong like Lady Caterina..._

Her features took on a look of determination and fire welled within her slender flesh.

"Father Nightroad, I don't care if I have to hold your mouth open with my two hands, but you will eat something!"

02 tried to smile happily for her, he did. And the effort tore her heart out.

"Have they held the funeral for him yet?"

There was no questioning who the blue-eyed man was talking about.

"It's tomorrow, in the Empire."

He closed his eyes for a moment, but she doubted it rid him of his mental agony.

"I want to go."

"You can't." The star child replied in a whisper, still battling to contain her tears. "You're still not fully healed."

"Ion was under my care, Esther." The immortal spoke with a dazed, mournful expression. "And I allowed him to die."

The ferocity the Queen shook her hair made it look like a violent mass of scarlet.

"No... Count Fortuna knew what he was getting himself into. He.. he revered you, Father. He wanted to help you. The only person's whose fault it is... is the one who killed him."

That bitter smile still played with his angular face. "Cain... but Cain is my sin and so those all his our my own. That means I killed the Coun—"

Abel never finished what he had to say because a spoon baring hot, tasteful liquid was forcefully shoved into his mouth. His inhuman gaze swept over the teary-eyed woman with an angry expression on her pale face.

"I told you I would force you to eat if I had to. Ion's gone Abel; but we're not."

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It is recorded that at the funeral for Count Ion Fortuna's death, the Queen of Albion did not cry. Instead, she comforted the Countess and the Emperor, both who had strong ties to the boy. After the ceremony, she left the Empire.

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The pale creature turned to the opening door with mild surprise. "I thought you were at the funeral."

The star swallowed hard. "I was."

At this, the shining cardinal eyes softened and the fangs no longer scared her. He was till the same clumsy old idiot after all.

"Esther," He called to her as she fixed his dinner.

"Yes?"

Her attention was immediately called back to her patient as he touched her arm very lightly, meeting skin at the corner sleeves of her dress. Those experienced eyes bored into her head.

"Sometimes, people have to cry. It's better to be sad then to pretend to be happy..."

Something inside her was breaking, and all he had to do was touch, look, and speak.

"I'm not happy." The girl murmured, still trying to contain herself.

"If you keep it all bottled up; it'll kill you."

This was too much. Or rather too little.

Sleep

Love

Freedom

Cheer...

Too little Ion.

She cracked.

"And what would you know about emotions? You're so wrapped in remorse that you can't even change back to human!" Her words were biting, but the long-awaited tears took away the edge.

Esther collapsed onto the edge of the bed, feeling a torrent of emotions breaking through. Water streamed down her face and soft sobs made her whole body wrack with hurt.

_"Promise me you'll protect them Abel..."_

A pair of strong arms wrapped around her and the beautiful woman found herself pulled up fully onto the bed by the priest. His eyes were once again blue, and so sympathetic to her own. Without thought, the broken Terran curled herself onto his chest to cry, taking comfort in the careful weight of his arms around her shoulder and on her head. It all had to be said. Now or she would never break free from the role of a ruler.

"H-he... Seth said that h-he..." Her fists were gripping the cloth of his bandages, holding onto them like an anchor to her sanity.

"He loved you." The silver-haired man murmured to her, hating the pain that rolled of the once joyful creature.

The female's breath hitched between sobs.

"Ion told me on a travels. He wanted to come back and propose to you." The AX member recalled with his own regret as he held her tighter.

"It wa-wasn't... r-right! H-he didn't deserve to d-d-die like that!" The Albion noble was almost screaming through the sheer agony. The only other time she had been through pain like this was when she had thought that the person she was clinging to now had died. She had screamed then too.

"No one deserves that Esther, and I am sorry." Abel spoke sincerely.

Her cries were softening, and slowly a rosary head titled back until sapphires met his eyes. "Tell me about him... The one who killed Ion... Cain, was it?"

The former AX member almost took back her words at the darkening of the human face. He had his glasses again, collected from somewhere. Finally a low, defeated sigh escaped his lips.

"Hundreds of years ago, we were the four experiments of Mars. Super-humans sent to live on a space station. It was me, Seth, Lilith, and Cain..."

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Dawn rose on the star girl who still quietly clung to the Crusnik.

"Did you love him?" Nightroad asked finally in the early light quiet after a storm.

Neither of them had slept and her face was still stained. "I... I don't know."

His grip on her tightened a little for reassurance. "I am sorry."

The Queen had lost count of how many times he had said those three words during the night. "I already told you, I don't blame you."

He shifted under her, his own periwinkle eyes glazing over. "I know..."

"But I blame myself."

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Rumors spread quickly through Albion of their Queen's elopement with a young Vatican priest. Esther supposed she should attempt to quash the gossip, but could find no reason in her heart to do so. Rome thought it had an edge now, and the Emperor already knew the truth after talking to her brother. Let her people think they had a night of wild sex instead of tragic tales. She liked the first one better anyways.

Besides, maybe she did love Abel. Perhaps he loved her back.

Or she could have loved Ion. She didn't know anymore. All the woman could do was put a smile on her face and lead her people, lead him.

..._The star guides the night,_

_As the night embraces the star._

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Hm... interesting little piece. I wasn't in much of a romantic mood, so here's what you get!

**Pressing the Submit Review Button helps bring Ion back to life!**


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